Ziad Rahbani

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Ziad Rahbani
زياد الرحباني
Origin Flag of Lebanon , Lebanon
Genre(s) World, Arabic

Ziad Rahbani (Arabic: زياد رحباني‎, born 1956) is a Lebanese composer and a writer (for radio shows and theater). The son of the famous Lebanese singer Fairouz and composer Assi Rahbani, he succeeded in conveying the cosmopolitan and pluralistic culture of his native city Beirut(1). He composed many songs for Fairouz and other singers. Many of his musicals satirised the political situation in Lebanon during and after the civil war; others addressed more philosophical as well as political questions. He played the main role in all his plays. His Parents are Greek Orthodox Christians.

[edit] Controversy

Ziad Rahbani, Zeiad Rahbanni has a long standing relationship with Lebanese leftist movements. He is ideologically close to the Lebanese Communist party - in fact, he is a self-declared communist. His politics meant that he was at odds with many of his co-religionists, who had adopted a much more right-wing agenda. During the Lebanese civil war, Ziad resided in mainly Muslim West Beirut.

His plays were at the core of the Lebanese consciousness and many generations considered them an integral part of Lebanese tradition. For reasons best known to him, Ziad, with the exception of "Sahriyyeh", was always opposed to filming his plays thereby depriving generations of fans worldwide from the nostalgic memory of such unforgettable art. When asked about the reason he never filmed his plays, his answer was, in the best humorous Ziad Rahbani's style, "Darb 7amraneh" meaning an act of foolishness.

[edit] External links